Current methods for completing hydrocarbon wells often involve pumping fracturing fluids into one or more production zones of a well. In order to improve efficiency of this process, ball-actuated frac sleeves were invented. The ball-actuated frac sleeve has side ports that block fluid access to a production zone with which it is associated until an appropriately sized frac ball is pumped down from the surface to open the sleeve. The frac ball lands on a seat in the ball-actuated frac sleeve and frac fluid pressure on the frac ball forces the side ports in the frac sleeve to open and provide fluid access to that production zone.
A frac ball dropped out of sequence is very undesirable because one or more zones are not fractured and the ball-actuated sleeves associated with those zones are left closed, so expensive remediation is required. A ball drop wellhead control apparatus that provides a control ball between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector and a stimulation fluid stream that is being pumped into a hydrocarbon well has been invented, as described in assignee's pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/331,903 filed Dec. 20, 2011, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, a ball drop wellhead control apparatus that is less expensive to construct is desirable.
There therefore exists a need for a ball drop wellhead control apparatus that is less expensive to construct.